Who Touched Me?

Who Touched Me?

Skeptics abound regarding those that attend church or practice religion.  And for good reason.  Their lives appear no different than their own.  Why add such encumbrances to your life if there is no apparent added value?  It’s a wonderful thing that there are exceptions to this perception.  Using a passage from the Bible in the gospel of Mark, chapter 5, I would like to say that there are the religious people and then there are those that really know Jesus.   

In Mark 5 Jesus is traveling through a village and with his reputation as a healer, exorciser of demons and provider of meals for thousands, it’s no wonder that throngs of people are trying to get a glimpse of him or even touch him.  I can imagine the disciples that he has with him tried to act as body guards.  Pushing, shoving, yelling, generally behavior attributed to crowds where each person has his own agenda.  

Somewhere in this crowd is a woman who has had internal bleeding for twelve years.  The Scriptures tell us that she has suffered at the hands of many doctors.  Any of us that have struggled for a diagnoses of a malady can appreciate her dilemma.  She must have known of Jesus’ reputation as she decides in her mind and heart that if she could just touch the hem of Jesus’ cloak then she would be healed.  What produced such faith?  And what hope did an anemic and probably emaciated woman have of breaking through the crowds?  At some point during that day from the time she heard Jesus was coming to the time that she touched his cloak, she graduated from simply believing in God to believing him.  She knew somehow, without a doubt, that healing would come from him for as others have said of him, “For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.”  

The diving leap must have been impressive.  But only she and Jesus knew about it.  She risked being trampled as she may have rolled on the ground after accomplishing her feat.  And then something really weird and humorous happened.  Jesus said, “Who touched me?”  The disciples reacted with sarcasm, “You see the people crowding against you, and yet you can ask, Who touched me?”  The mob of people stopped as Jesus maybe raised his arms and began to look around.  Luke recorded, “Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me.”  

The woman knowing that she would be found out sooner or later, timidly came to Jesus and fell at his feet and  told Jesus her story.  What I have failed to mention is that when she touched Jesus’ cloak, she was healed completely.  Any of us that have had an operation or experienced the healing of a wound know that it takes some time.  But the healing that Jesus gave was instantaneous.  This miracle is repeated when Jesus healed those with crippled limbs, leprosy and other diseases.  Can we not also say the same thing happens when we come to him for salvation.  Our healing is not gradual but immediate and completely.  One moment we are separated by the curse of sin, the next, when we accept the salvation he offers through his death and resurrection, our sins which were as crimson are washed as white as snow.

But let’s go back to that simple touch.  Hadn’t people been touching Jesus all along.  Hadn’t the disciples been with Jesus for some time and enjoyed the fellowship of friends through handshakes, hugs and a brotherly kiss.  Why didn’t anyone else in the crowd receive power from Jesus?  What made the difference?  This reminds me of the throngs of people going to church every Sunday that I mentioned in the beginning.  The ones that don’t seem to be any different from their neighbors.  Haven’t they experienced Jesus?  Haven’t they worshiped?  Haven’t they done things in Jesus’ name?  My contention is that there are many that are religious that have never touched Jesus.  Our spiritual nature drives us toward religion of some sort for we are spiritual beings.  We all worship but all worship is not worthwhile.

Luke recorded Jesus saying, “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?”  Matthew recorded Jesus speaking about the sheep and the goats being separated at the end of time as if there is little external distinction while on this planet.  The difference is faith in Jesus as the woman had.  She believed she would be healed.  She had faith that could only have come from God himself.  A faith that produced a miracle.  James, the half brother of Jesus wrote, “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.”  The demons have no desire to touch Jesus.  For when we do, a miracle happens.  Our sin is removed and we become a new person.  There’s some fear in that isn’t there?

The blind man who was healed could no longer beg.  Those healed of leprosy would have to rejoin society and negotiate social relationships again.  The crippled who could walk would now have to work.  Jesus asked the cripple at the pool, “Do you want to be well?“ And he made an excuse about not being able to get to the mythological healing pool.  What is expected of us if Jesus heals us?  

The woman’s day to day agenda would now be entirely different.  We don’t know anything about her life after this moment, but I can imagine that she became an evangelist for Jesus.  Just like the Samaritan women at the well who proclaimed, “Come see a man who told me everything I have ever done.”  

But that’s what keeps us away isn’t it?  Fear.  Fear of change.  Fear that by coming to Jesus, we might become one of those church people.  That’s a good fear.  But if Jesus is good then anything that he has to offer us will be good as well.  Step across that line of faith.  Make that diving leap and touch Jesus.  You won’t regret it.